Mumbai: City Congress seeks probe BMC chief's role in land case

Congress Mumbai Unit chief Sanjay Nirupam wants BMC chief Ajoy Mehta booked and criminal action initiated against him. File pic

The Mumbai Congress and its corporators, have demanded that the role of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Ajoy Mehta, and other civic officials that were directly or indirectly involved with losing a plot measuring 13,000 square metres in Jogeshwari, be investigated. The BMC has, however, said that a probe against the officials responsible in tampering with the file related to the plot has already been initiated. The BMC had tried to acquire the plot in Jogeshwari to set up a recreational ground but failed to do so in time, and subsequently lost the case in the Bombay High Court and also the land.

"This is a land scam worth Rs 500-crore under the nose of none other than the BMC commissioner, who is already involved in several other scams," Congress Mumbai Unit chief Sanjay Nirupam alleged. "A BMC worker associated with the case lost his life under mysterious circumstances last month, and we suspect he was killed. I demand that the Mumbai police book Mehta and immediately initiate criminal action against him," he said.

When the civic body wanted to appeal in the Supreme Court, the remarks of Mehta on the land were allegedly tampered with in the file related to the plot, and changed to 'shouldn't be challenged in Supreme Court' from the actual written note of 'should be challenged in Supreme Court'. Following this, BMC had filed an FIR with the Azad Maidan police station. Once the report is out, it will be put in public domain and the commissioner will take action against the officials involved, said a press note released by BMC.

13,000
The area of the plot in sq m

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